This means you can start throwing plastics labeled #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7 into your blue bin along with the #1 and #2 plastics. They will accept all plastics except plastic wrap, plastic bags, and Styrofoam (all things you can easily avoid using with minimal effort). And don’t forget, they also started accepting cardboard for curbside pickup in April – epic awesomeness!

The Charleston Post & Courier had this quote from Charleston County Council member Colleen Condon:

Expanding Charleston County’s Recycling Program to recycle all plastics #1 through #7 allows us to provide better service to our citizens and move closer to our 40 percent recycling goal with this important step.

Cheers to the Jenny and the CCR team, the Council, and everyone else who made this happen. I know it’s been a long time coming, and something that all of us local greenies have been hoping for. In fact, it’s the most common question we get from Go Green readers, and now I have the answer they want to hear!

What are you working on eliminating? Oil-based gas, plastic bags, food from far off continents? Bottled water, dirty electricity, resource-intensive meat? Let us know in the new Go Green Poll.

Results from the last Go Green Poll, Summer is here – what sustainable action are you focused on?, can be viewed after the jump >>

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

My current string bag never carried my shoes, only produce. It is by far my favorite reusable bag. I love walking through Whole Foods and filling it with organic pears, apples, mangoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, and it’s even strong enough for a melon. At the register, the cashier weighs and rings up my fruit and veggies with ease. Then, they put it all back in the bag, and I carry it out.

As I continue to shop with my reusable bags, I am noticing all of the packaging and other unnecessary plastic bags. DwellSmart carries an array of string bags, if I remember correctly, they were six dollars. You can also buy them through EcoBags, though we all know it’s important to support our local businesses. Go ahead and buy two, it is always good share green ideas with a friend!

Disposable plastic bags are an absolute menace to our planet. Whole Foods offers the only paper bags made from 100% recycled paper. They also offer a Better Bag, for 99 cents, made from recycled bottles. I look forward to seeing even more reusable bags at the checkouts. Happy Earth Day!

Whether or not you buy one from A Single Bag, please consider bringing your own reusable bag with you the next time you go shopping. This one small act can make a positive impact on the environment by reducing garbage production, plastic pollution, and dependence on oil. We have more information on the local reusable bag scene here, here, and here.

I’m a realist – Even though my family’s “gone reusable” doesn’t mean everyone will – so maybe help is needed. For instance, Whole Foods recently announced they’re eliminating plastic bags from all 270 of their locations. This is good. Bi-Lo will give you 5¢ refund for bringing your own. This is also good. I’d like to see the other big brands follow suit.

Here’s a roundup of where the local big guys stand:

Bi-Lo
Bags: Plastic; Paper; Reusable bags for purchase.
Program: Refund of 5¢ per bag if you bring your own.

Earth Fare
Bags: Plastic; Paper; Reusable bags for purchase.
Program: Do not offer a refund for using your own bags.

Food Lion
Bags: Plastic; Paper.
Program: Do not offer a refund for using your own bags.

Harris Teeter
Bags: Plastic; Paper; Reusable bags for purchase.
Program: Do not offer a refund for using your own bags.

Piggly Wiggly
Bags: Plastic; Paper; Reusable bags for purchase.
Program: Do not offer a refund for using your own bags.

Publix
Bags: Plastic; Paper; Reusable bags for purchase.
Program: Do not offer a refund for using your own bags.

Whole Foods Market
Bags: No plastic; Paper; Reusable bags for purchase.
Program: Refund of 5¢ per bag if you bring your own.

Maybe you’ve heard about the folks in China who have named the tumbleweeds of plastic bags “white pollution.” Or the South Africans who are now skilled in plastic bag home construction.

Perhaps you’ve read about the 100,000 marine animals that die annually from entrapment or ingestion of plastic grocery bags. Don’t forget, the plastic that trapped the turtle will be free to go as soon the body decomposes.

We know those bags are non-biodegradable. We know they are made from a non-renewable source. We know that 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce the 100 billion plastic grocery bags Americans use.

Yet, they are still being handed to us, free.

In my pantry hangs an over-sized canvass bag with a Ron Jon logo printed on the front. Inside the bag are ten other canvass bags, with varying logos. The floors of my car are littered with canvass bags. My diaper bag is a canvass bag with the words, “Stop using plastic bags,” printed boldly in green. I may have more canvass bags than shoes.

It has been over a year since I have used a plastic grocery store bag. I love it (far more than composting.) My favorite bags have long handles so I can sling them over my shoulders. I have smaller bags for eggs or cleaning supplies. Any food that is in a bag, like bread and chips, well, those are in a bag already.

I bag my own groceries, and would like to say that the grocery stores have not been all that obliging. But, as the weeks have passed, the clerks have noticed that I am not going back to using their bags. Though my bagging buddy
Jack, finally confided to me that he was proud of my effort, I still feel like a sideshow at the checkout.

Now, to all you customers out there that are still using plastic bags, go ahead and ask me why I’ve switched. What is disturbing is that there are so many reasons to change, I could give different answers every time. So, instead of staring at me and thinking, “Well, she does have her nose pierced too…” buy the 99 cent reusable bags now offered at Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Publix and Whole Food stores. Check out ReusableBags.com. There are options that are easily accessible, use them instead. The more WE change, the more the manufacturers will notice.

I love my canvass bag collection. It’s all machine washable, air dryable, and 100% reusable. We know all the reasons to stop using plastic grocery bags, and paper bags, we just have to do it!!

I really have been enjoying looking for these odd recyclables. I’ve begun to know what certain plastics sound like when thumped, and where plastic ID codes are placed. I’ve been picking up objects around the house and in stores, looking for that rare reclaimable object. That’s why I was shocked to see that this bag made from plastic #1 – why aren’t all bags made from this material? Sometimes I forget that things other than containers can be made from this stuff, and that’s what Surprising Recyclables is all about.

Previously on Surprising Recyclables:

• Watering Can
  
• Recycling Bin
  
• Paint Bucket
• Target Cart
  
• Milk Crate
• Little Tikes Wagon

This morning I blew off sniping photos of poor trash management in favor of playing with my two boys – easy decision. So instead of posting a photo, I thought I’d post this numerical reminder of how blind we are to our consumption. Over 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide each year, and the vast majority of these are thrown into the trash (more fun facts). Recycling can have an impact, but the goal is to avoid them all together.

Please take a canvas bag when you shop…and not just to the grocery store. If you don’t have one, check out The Little Green Bag Project for some free green bags of your own.

Check out the Weekly Trashed archives and Flickr Set for more.